(MENAFN) Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky has reaffirmed his commitment to maintaining the country’s full territorial integrity, rejecting any idea of ceding land to Russia. His statement came shortly after US President Donald Trump suggested a peace deal might include a territorial exchange between Moscow and Kiev to benefit both sides.

Zelensky dismissed the proposal on Saturday, accusing Russian President Vladimir Putin of attempting to use a temporary halt in fighting to legitimize the occupation of Ukrainian territory. “Putin wants forgiveness for seizing southern Kherson, Zaporozhye, the entirety of Lugansk, Donetsk, and Crimea. We will never allow Russia a second chance to divide Ukraine,” Zelensky declared in a video address.

Crimea separated from Ukraine in 2014 after the Maidan uprising that ousted former President Viktor Yanukovych, with a local referendum leading to its annexation by Russia. In September 2022, Russia incorporated four additional regions following referendums, although only Lugansk has been fully retaken by Ukrainian forces since then, with the others partially held by Ukraine.

Additionally, Russia controls some border areas in Kharkov and Sumy regions, seized after repelling a Ukrainian incursion into Russia’s Kursk region last year. Moscow demands a complete Ukrainian withdrawal from these territories, reiterating its stance in a draft peace roadmap presented during recent Türkiye-hosted talks with Kiev.

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